Contrary to apprehensions that the termination of Title 42 might trigger a surge in migrants, the most recent statistics from U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) and Border Patrol indicate a decrease in border crossings into the United States via the Southwest land boundary in June.
The CBP documented a sum of 144,571 encounters—including those with unaccompanied minors, individual adults, and families—at the Southwest border in June, marking the smallest figure in two years, and the least since President Joe Biden took office. This reflects a significant drop from May, when 206,702 encounters were reported.
January 2021 saw even fewer encounters with 78,414 migrants crossing the border, as per CBP records. This count encapsulates individuals who had a scheduled CBP One appointment as well as those who didn’t.
In a similar trend, Border Patrol recorded 99,545 encounters between Southwest border entry points, marking a 42% decline from May.
The data suggests that the termination of Title 42, a law enacted during the pandemic era which permitted US authorities to instantly deport individuals who had illegally entered the country, did not result in an increased migrant influx as was feared. Instead, it appears that the new migration strategies under President Biden are effective.
Earl Anthony Wayne, a previous ambassador to Mexico (2011-2015), now a professor and co-chair at the Mexico Institute at the Woodrow Wilson Center, and a diplomat in residence at American University, shared with Newsweek his belief that the Biden administration’s varied policies are successfully moderating migrant flow through Mexico to the US border.
Wayne elaborated that the Biden administration has provided migrants the hope of lawful entry through asylum application in other nations, including Mexico. Conversely, those who disregard legal procedures and cross the border illicitly can face expulsion and a five-year reentry ban, acting as a severe deterrent.
Moreover, Wayne stressed that the Mexican government is also actively persuading migrants to divert from the border, with some even applying for asylum within Mexico. The U.S. is persistently working to strengthen regional cooperation as part of this wider policy.
The decrease in migrant crossings in June was lauded by CBP, attributing the decline to consistent enforcement efforts under established Title 8 authorities and an increase in legal pathways.
However, Wayne underscores that this is a transient victory for the Biden administration, with legal challenges questioning the migration policy from both liberal and conservative viewpoints.
He further advocated for significant reform in U.S. immigration law and more efficient processing of asylum claims, which would require additional resources, more judges, and better facilities at the border—all contingent on congressional action.
